Image reader incorporated in electro-developing type camera and electro-developing recording medium used therein

Abstract

An electro-developing recording medium has a reference zone exhibiting a substantially-constant transparency to prepare correction data for correcting image pixel signals obtained by an optical and electronic reading of a developed image of the electro-developing recording medium. The reference zone is located at a margin area of an image recording area of the electro-developing recording medium. Further, the reference zone is located adjacent to a side edge of the image recording area of the electro-developing recording medium. The electro-developing recording medium includes an electrostatic information recording medium and an electric charge keeping medium. The electric charge keeping medium has the reference zone exhibiting the substantially-constant transparency. The electric charge keeping medium is formed as a liquid crystal display, and the reference zone can be defined as an empty space from which a portion of a liquid crystal of the liquid crystal display has been eliminated. In the alternative, the reference zone can be defined as a plenum space which is filled with a portion of a liquid crystal of the liquid crystal display, and which is arranged such that an electric field is applied to the plenum space so as to exhibit a constant and maximum transparency.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An electro-developing recording medium having a reference zone exhibiting a substantially-constant transparency to prepare correction data for correcting image pixel signals obtained by an optical and electronic reading of a developed image of said electro-developing recording medium. 
     
     
       2. An electro-developing recording medium as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said reference zone is located at a margin area of an image recording area of said electro-developing recording medium. 
     
     
       3. An electro-developing recording medium as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said reference zone is located adjacent to a side edge of the image recording area of said electro-developing recording medium. 
     
     
       4. The electro-developing recording medium according to  claim 1 , said reference zone having a transparency through which light rays can pass. 
     
     
       5. The electro-developing recording medium according to  claim 1 , said reference zone being located in an image recording area of said electro-developing recording medium at a leasing side edge, in a direction in which said electro-developing recording medium is intermittently moveable with respect to an optical sensor when the optical sensor reads the image on the electro-developing recording medium. 
     
     
       6. The electro-developing recording medium according to  claim 1 , said recording medium comprising an electrostatic image recording medium and an electric charge keeping medium, said reference zone being formed in said electric charge keeping medium. 
     
     
       7. An electro-developing recording medium including an electrostatic information recording medium and an electric charge keeping medium, wherein said electric charge keeping medium comprises a reference zone exhibiting a substantially-constant transparency to prepare correction data for correcting image pixel signals obtained by an optical and electronic reading of a developed image of said electro-developing recording medium. 
     
     
       8. An electro-developing recording medium as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein said reference zone is located at a margin area of an image recording area of said electric charge keeping medium. 
     
     
       9. An electro-developing recording medium as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein said reference zone is located adjacent to a side edge of the image recording area of said electro-developing recording medium. 
     
     
       10. An electro-developing recording medium as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein said electric charge keeping medium is formed as a liquid crystal display, and said reference zone is defined as an empty space from which a portion of a liquid crystal of the liquid crystal display is eliminated. 
     
     
       11. An electro-developing recording medium as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein said electric charge keeping medium is formed as a liquid crystal display, and said reference zone is defined as a plenum space which is filled with a portion of a liquid crystal of the liquid crystal display, and which is arranged such that an electric field is applied to said plenum space so as to exhibit a constant and maximum transparency. 
     
     
       12. The electro-developing recording medium according to  claim 7 , said reference zone having a transparency through which light rays can pass. 
     
     
       13. The electro-developing recording medium according to  claim 7 , said reference zone being located in an image recording area of said electro-developing recording medium at a leading side edge, in a direction in which said electro-developing recording medium is intermittently moveable with respect to an optical sensor when the optical sensor reads the image on the electro-developing recording medium. 
     
     
       14. The electro-developing recording medium according to  claim 7 , said recording medium comprising an electrostatic image recording medium and an electric charge keeping medium, said reference zone being formed in said electric charge keeping medium.